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Periscope and Meerkat represent the next stage of personal live streaming, putting the ability to broadcast right in the hand of anyone with a smartphone. That’s a lot of power, and like the broader Internet, content on Periscope and Meerkat runs the gamut from fascinating to banal.

Over the last decade, social media has had a profound influence on how these shows engage audiences and share content. In a world where viral videos now dominate water cooler conversations, late-night shows must compete for attention with the entirety of the Internet.

By JIM SABATASO | STAFF [An edited version of this story appears in the Aug. 25, 2014, edition of the Rutland Herald.] San Francisco, 2008. Two roommates looking to make a few extra bucks, rent out space in their apartment to visitors in town for a design conference. Lacking actual beds, they procure air mattresses…

Editor’s note: We’re hitting the road so Daily Clicks will be on hiatus until next week. • Slate writer Phil Plait discusses how #NotAllMen has distracted from the bigger issue of violence against and the everyday oppression of women (slate.com) What made that harder was coming to an understanding that I will never truly understand what…

• Alt Lit is an online writing community that uses videos, social media, and images as its medium. The output is odd, fascinating, and challenging. Kenneth Goldsmith digs into the phenomenon for The New Yorker, making comparisons to Walt Whitman, the Beats, and even William Blake. (newyorker.com) • The quietest place on Earth is in Minnesota, and…

• A thread on Reddit has been having fun pitching honest slogans for companies. It’s not particularly novel — and a lot are too obvious — but there are some decent ones in there. (elephantjournal.com) Now the depressing stuff… • Surprise! Facebook is reading your private messages. But don’t worry, it’s all cool, says Sheryl Sandberg,…

• Speaking of trolling on Twitter, comedian Joe Mande has been having fun soliciting La Croiz sparking water to make him its official spokesperson. La Croix wants not part of it, and has told Mande as much via its lawyers. That’s where thing took a turn for the worse with Mande swearing off La Croix…